Revisiting Vulnerability

December 2, 2014 5:36 PM

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Those of us interested in meaningfully supporting our personal growth seem to be increasingly aware of the importance of vulnerability. What exactly should the role of vulnerability be in our emotional and spiritual lives? How does it become so challenging to feel vulnerable, even in the absence of any danger? How can we become more adept at integrating vulnerability into our lives? In order to address these questions, we need to examine several key images: 1) The penetrable heart of a child, 2) Feeling vulnerable vs. being vulnerable, 3) Exercising effective discernment and boundaries in order to prevent ourselves from being unnecessarily vulnerable, 4) The Journey.

A child's heart is by its nature penetrable. Since it has not developed sophisticated defense mechanisms, a child's heart is porous to a wide range of positive and negative energies. It readily takes in love, affection and kindness, as well as ridicule, contempt and shame. The child's heart retains ...